KENT STATE (25-9, 13-5 MAC) vs MERCYHURST (10-19, 9-9 NEC)
Tuesday, April 14 – 3:00 p.m.
TV: NEC Front Row
MERCYHURST (10-19, 9-9 NEC) vs MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE (7-24, 6-12 NEC)
Friday, April 17 – 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 18 – 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 19 – 12:00 p.m.
TV: YouTube
The Mercyhurst baseball team is set to play four games this week with one at home against Kent State and three on the road at Maryland Eastern Shore. The Lakers play the Golden Flashes at home Tuesday at 3 p.m. while they play the Hawks on the road starting on Friday at 3 p.m. They'll play game two on Saturday at 1 p.m. and game three on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Previous Results
The Lakers are 10-19 on the year. Last week, they won their midweek matchup against Niagara 12-5. Some key contributors in the game were freshman
Mike Samarin with an RBI triple, and both junior
Luke Babcock and senior Zach Kourous had three RBIs. Graduate student
Zac Evenson pitched six innings and gave up one run on four hits and had six strikeouts.
In their series against Le Moyne, the Lakers lost game one 11-4, won game two 7-5 and lost game three 11-10. In game three, junior
Riley Ames made a phenomenal catch in the bottom of the sixth inning, preventing a three-run home run by the Dolphins.
Matchup History
This will be the third matchup in history between the Lakers and Golden Flashes. Kent State leads all time 2-0, with the first matchup being March 4, 2025. In that game, graduate student
Jayden Walker went 3-for-4 including a first inning two-run double. In the most recent matchup on April 1, 2025, Walker went 2-3 and drew a walk.
This will also be the third matchup in history between the Lakers and Hawks. Mercyhurst leads all time 3-0, with the first matchup being March 28, 2025. The Lakers won in 10 innings thanks to Walker going 4-for-6, including a first inning two-run homerun. Graduate student
Ranciel Ventura also contributed to the win, going 2-for-5 with a double and stolen base. In their most recent matchup on March 30, 2025, the Lakers won 10-4 and Walker hit another home run in the first inning, this one being a solo homerun.
Batting Leaders
Kourous leads all Laker batters with a .386 batting average, which is third in the NEC. Last weekend, he hit a home run in all three games against Le Moyne, and extended his hitting streak to 18 and his on-base streak to 19. Babcock is second on the Lakers with a .274 hitting average. He obtained a hit in all three games against Le Moyne, including a two-homerun game in game three. This pushed his total on the year to five, which is ninth overall in the NEC.
Pitching Leaders
Sophomore
Nate Vargo leads all pitchers with a 5.93 ERA, which is ninth in the NEC. In his last appearance, he pitched five innings and gave up four runs on 11 hits. He has pitched 41 innings this year, which is eight in the NEC. Junior
Matthew Delvaux is second on the team with a 6.02 ERA. In his last appearance, he pitched four innings and gave up seven runs, six earned on four hits. Opponents are hitting .240 against Delvaux, which is third in the NEC.
A Closer Look: Kent State
- Kent State opened their season 25-9, including wins against Tennessee, Rhode Island and Ohio State. The Golden Flashes are currently ranked first in the MAC.
- Catcher Nolan Belcher leads the team with a .329 batting average which is 20th in the MAC.
- Utilityman Sawyer Solitaria is the team leader in hits with 41, RBIs (29) and home runs (10.) His 10 home runs are fifth in the MAC..
- Pitcher Ciaran Caughey leads the team with a 3.89 ERA, which is ninth in the MAC. He is also leading the team with 49 strikeouts, which is eighth in the conference.
A Closer Look: Maryland Eastern Shore
- Maryland Eastern Shore opened their season 7-24 including wins against Coppin State, LIU and Stonehill.
- Catcher Jonathan Gonzalez leads the team with a .354 batting average, RBIs with 44 and 10 home runs, which are third in the NEC. He also has a 1.086 OPS, which is eighth in the conference.
- Infielder Ansel Carson is second on the team with a .329 batting average. His .558 on-base percentage is second in the NEC.
- Richard De Jesus leads the team with a 6.33 ERA. This year he has totaled 28 strikeouts, and gave up 50 hits. Opponents are batting .270 against him, which is ninth in the NEC.
